Buckland Hospital is to become one of 40 sites across England to get a new diagnostics centre.

The new centre, at Coombe Valley Road, Dover, will provide services closer to home for people in Dover, Deal, Walmer and the surrounding villages as part of the Government’s plan to ensure health problems are caught early on.

It will begin providing services over the coming months.

The centre will achieve earlier diagnoses for patients through easier, faster, and more direct access to a fuller range of scans and tests needed to understand patients’ symptoms – including breathlessness and cancer symptoms.

Dover and Deal MP Natalie Elphicke commented: "The centre will l help deliver better health outcomes for people by providing a one stop shop to test for and diagnose serious health conditions as quickly as possible.

" Through investing in early diagnosis and increasing NHS capacity, serious illnesses can be identified sooner and lives saved.

“Having this centre locally will save long journeys for vulnerable and elderly patients. I have long been campaigning for greater use of the Buckland hospital to provide essential healthcare services, so I am delighted by this news.”

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